DHS nixes dozens of bar, gym reopenings

Arizona health officials have rejected applications from dozens of bars and gyms to reopen with enhanced safety measures, after approving several such requests Tuesday.

Health officials have so far rejected reopening plans from 40 bars that serve food, 59 gyms and one movie theater.

Bars, gyms, water parks and theaters closed by Gov. Doug Ducey’s June 29 order can’t reopen without approval until the county they are in reaches either a “moderate” or “minimal” spread rate of coronavirus.

Businesses can apply to the Department of Health Services to reopen even while the spread is “substantial,” which is where Maricopa County is today.

About 800 businesses have applied to reopen, offering to limit occupancy beyond DHS recommendations and using other measures to keep customers and workers safe.

On Tuesday, 38 businesses got the green light from DHS after the agency reviewed their plans to reopen. Most were gyms, but five bars that serve food also got the OK.

DHS officials said Wednesday that most of the additional applications they reviewed were rejected, including Harold’s Cave Creek Corral, Brennan’s Pub and Grub, Wandering Tortoise and three Whining Pig locations.

Gyms that got rejected include Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness and the Flagstaff Athletic Club.

Businesses that got rejected may appeal and enter an informal settlement process with DHS.

But based on the hundreds of applications, it may not be a timely process.

It’s possible the county a rejected business is in could reach a benchmark that would allow the business to reopen before such a settlement could be reached.

The reopening guidelines use three levels of community transmission: substantial, moderate and minimal. The less community spread, the more businesses can be open and the higher occupancy they can allow.

Community spread is based on: cases per 100,000 people, percentage of positive test results and percentage of hospital visits due to COVID-like illnesses.

Counties must meet thresholds in all three areas for at least 14 consecutive days to move to a lower transmission category.

Businesses that have been approved to reopen said they have agreed to a host of extra precautions.

The Village Health Clubs, for example, will take temperatures of guests and workers, spent $120,000 on new air systems at its facilities, and can provide limited contact tracing if a customer or worker tests positive for COVID-19 by notifying others who were in the gym at the same time, President Carol Nalevanko said.

All four Village gyms in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Chandler won approval from DHS to reopen.